Review: Sephora Bronzer Powder in Bahamas

I have a serious case of roundface, so I'm always looking for ways to make my cheekbones pop (or at least look recognizable). I've been looking into matte bronzers to use as a contour powder, and the best option I had was Benefit's Hoola. But it's one, kinda of expensive, and two, a little on the orange side. So, when I stumbled across this Sephora brand option for almost half the price, I jumped on it.



Sephora Bronzer Powder in Bahamas comes in a medium-sized metallic bronze/orange compact with a mirror in the lid (because everybody bronzes on the go now?). It's not the world's nicest compact (I can hear tiny things rattling inside), but it looks sturdy and basic enough for me. The bronzer has SPF 15, which is a thoughtful addition even if the SPF's not that high, because I think sometimes people neglect SPF when they're wearing a bronzer. The powder definitely has a sunscreen scent (I think they did that on purpose, oddly enough), but it's not coconuts and tropics sunscreen, it's more like Coppertone with some jasmine thrown in for good measure. You guys know how much I love (read: hate) white flowers. The smell is noticeable, but it's not overwhelming. It doesn't linger after the powder is applied.

The powder itself is a finely milled, warm brown. It has more yellow than red in it by far, but it's not going to make you look jaundiced by any means. It's a lot like a warmer version of MAC's Wedge shadow, and the yellow comes across as more golden when swatched on skin. When I bought this, I thought it was matte, but it turns out it has a few tiny sparkles scattered throughout. Shimmer is a bad idea when you're trying to contour, but this is so minimal that it's not a problem. I don't think Bahamas would do much good for medium or dark skintones. It's a medium, sheer brown that's just the right darkness for me (and I'm NW20). I found it really easy to layer and blend, especially with my fluffy Sephora blush brush. While I think this is great as a cheekbone contourer, I don't think it would be that great as an actual bronzer. It's very flat and it's very light, so it would have to be applied pretty heavily. But it is a nice, cheap cure for a serious case of roundface.

Sephora Bronzer Powder, $16 at sephora.com.

Image Sources:
sephora.com